The Light of Tiga
by Izzu
Summary: Ultraman Tiga. Post Final Odyssey. After Ruruya, Daigo started to rethink about the path he should take in the future.
1. Chapter 1

_"You think that you're the only one special?"_

It's been a while since he last thought of Masaki Keigo, let alone _saw_ him. He'd never thought he would recall all of those exchanges back then but here he was.

But well, it was not as if he could help it. Thinking about this now.

Now that he thought of it, he wondered if those statues that Masaki found... were ever _real_? Or was it _truly_ man-made using the remains of the other destroyed giants from Tiga's pyramid.

Because after seeing the ancient ruins in Ruruya as well as the remains of the fallen warriors, he was no longer sure. Because now he had the thoughts, those statues could possibly be _real_. Considering even back then, during that great battle... some of the ancient giants had used armies of Golza to fight. And that giant had his own _monster_ statue by his side.

But... if those were real, why were they hidden inside that cave? So far from either Ruruya or Tiga's Pyramid. Was the giant originally good... or evil?

Also, was that statue of a giant even _have_ any connection to Masaki? Was Masaki's impure heart the _only_ reason his giant form turned dark, or was there another reason? Could that giant _also_ be a giant of darkness originally?

 _"You may be smart, and able to analyse about the nature of the power of light... but you cannot be Ultraman Tiga!"_

Back then, did he uttered those words out of instinct? That there was _no way_ that Masaki could become Tiga, because Tiga was _him_. That time, he said that Masaki couldn't become Tiga... _not_ that he couldn't become an Ultraman.

Even without Tiga's ancient memories inside of him, he knew... that the ability to absorb another's powers and converting them as one's own—into light—was not a common ability. And probably even _more_ for giants of darkness.

He thought of that day when they first found Tiga's pyramid—no... when they first found Yuzare's time capsule. Back then he was the only one that thought that the capsule was genuine. It was not only because of Golza's appearance. Back then, a part of him kept insisting that the giants must exist. Perhaps because of his Ultra DNA, or something else... he _sensed_ that Yuzare was someone he could trust. Even if his first meeting with Yuzare in this life was through that hologram, he had that strong feeling that she was trustworthy.

When Golza and Melba were destroying the other statues and tried to do the same on Tiga, he felt the anxiety. That time, the very thought that the statue of Tiga could be destroyed... it alarmed him. Not just because he thought that the last giant could be their last hope to fighting the monsters that started appearing. There was something else. Back then he didn't ponder about it too much but now he wondered. Back when he tried to stop Golza from destroying his statue; was it purely out of worry that their last hope destroyed... the reason he attacked Golza recklessly? Or was it because he didn't want Golza to destroy what remained of his ancient past as a being of light? His _old_ body?

Back then when he first saw the three statues, he was only drawn towards Tiga. Not only because he so happened to have the ultra DNA, or that he's part of GUTS. He did sense a _connection_ towards the statue. That time he _knew_ which of the three was Tiga.

 _"You just chanced into the pyramids..."_

It was not by chance. Even if Melba's appearance weren't reported at that time, he would still have insisted for the team to search for the giants. Also, even if they didn't immediately go to find the pyramid... he had an inkling that Yuzare's AI would do something to _still_ get him to the pyramid. He knew that the AI could have done that. And that time, he didn't just blindly stumbled into it. He was _drawn_ towards the pyramid, his body being beaconed towards it... _like a long lost memory_.

Daigo sighed as he stared towards the sea before him. This particular spot at the base was always his favourite. It gave a nice view of the sea, and it was always calming to be able to stand here doing nothing.

He recalled the time when he saved General Sawai; the incident that allowed him another chance to join the training academy to become a member of GUTS. Back then, he really did... not have any ulterior motives. To take advantage of any rewards he could get by saving that person. That time, his body just moved to save the general from being kidnapped. Because that should be natural, right? He's not even sure if he was being courageous at that time. It just happened.

That time, was it just him... or was that also part of his ancient self's instincts reacting on the desire to save people?

It could be... or not. There wasn't really any way to tell, was it?

He couldn't remember any more on how he ended up joining TPC. Was it _really_ just by chance that he thought of joining the transport crew? Or did he really want to join GUTS, despite not being able to make it to the training academy that first time he applied... for lack of other options in looking for jobs. Was it _truly_ by chance that he ended up here... or was there some divine intervention that made it all happen?

Was it really by chance that he was Tiga? And not only because he had merged with the statue that _belonged_ to Tiga? Were these ancient memories he had truly _his_... or only there because Tiga was now a part of him. But that didn't explain to him about Kamilla.

Kamilla had no problems recognising him after so long. And along with Yuzare message, it hit him even more now to realise that those two were very _sure_ of his identity as Tiga. Added with the ' _new'_ ancient memory that Kamilla _forced_ him to remember, he had to wonder just how much of his current life was shaped to lead him into becoming Tiga. How much of his current life... was even _his?_

Daigo thought of the other giant statues that were with his at the pyramid. Are they, still around somewhere? Leaving their physical bodies to head to the further parts of the universe. Because suddenly he wanted to ask them. How did the _old him_ die? Did _that Tiga_ wished to be reborn a human so that he could be around to save humanity again the way _he_ couldn't in the past? How did Yuzare know that history would repeat the second time? Did Tiga told Yuzare that?

Or. Did those two... stayed by his side to accompany him despite knowing that they themselve would perish alongside? Daigo's heart started to hurt at the thought. He didn't even remember ever their names now, yet those two. Protected him even until the end.

How frustrating. Because there's still parts of _his_ memories missing. Even if a lot of the questions he used to ask were answered, even more, popped up inside his mind.

Ever since Kamilla made him recall his ancient memories about her, other memories— _ancient ones_ —started coming back to him. Not just the memories of that battle between the giants. But also of the memories of the time he was protecting the ancient humans from harm. The memories became even clearer after he left Ruruya.

He remembered that he _did_ care about Kamilla, he remembered his feelings for her. And it pained him to find out belatedly that she _also_ wished to be a part of the light. _Just like Rena_.

It hurt him to realise that, only at the end when she died.

 _"... because I loved you."_

 _"... my friend."_

Now that even _more_ of Tiga's ancient memories resurfacing inside of him, it made him rethink about his current life. As a human as well as light, how should he live his life now... after being aware of his past life's memories? After being aware that he was not _just_ a human with an Ultra DNA, but also a being of light in his past life. Just... how should he live his life now, knowing all of that?

"You looked like you again had the weight of the world on your back."

Daigo jumped, before turning around to see Captain Iruma Megumi smiling at him.

* * *

Wrote this like... in 2015. And forgot to post this up besides on my Dreamwidth. Haha. Might as well finish this piece now that I remembered it exist.


	2. Chapter 2

_"You looked like you again had the weight of the world on your back."_

Daigo let out a strained laugh before looking away from the captain. "It's not that. It's just... I suddenly had a lot of things to think about."

Megumi chuckled as she walked over to Daigo's side, leaning on the railings as she eyed the vast sea before them. Seeing the open sea before her, suddenly made her recall how _suffocating_ it has been while she was stranded in Ruruya.

She sighed. "For a moment, I thought I could no longer see this view from here. After the disastrous outcome that fell on the expedition crew, as well as being toyed around by Kamilla... I thought my life would have ended on that island."

Daigo cast a glance towards her before forcing out a chuckle.

"Kamilla wouldn't have killed you before she could get me to come; even then, to her... killing you wouldn't give her any satisfaction. Because you're not really Yuzare."

"Yuzare?" Megumi asked as Daigo gave her a weak smile. She paused, before realisation seemed to dawn on her. "That leader... from the ancient Earth Defence Force? From the hologram? But... what's the relation between her and me? Wait... come to think, before... during the time when the Zoygers started appearing, I saw someone."

She frowned, trying to recall the memory...

"When I called out to her," Megumi turned towards Daigo, "—when she turned to face me... I realised, she looked _exactly_ like me."

Daigo chuckled nervously as Megumi continued, "That person, _told_ me what the appearance of Zoyger would mean. I didn't know why... but suddenly I came to the realisation that the woman was the same one from the hologram. And I was right, that person soon changed into the one from the capsule after I asked if she was the person in the hologram. But how could that be possible? Wasn't she supposed to be dead... and again what's that have to do with—"

"That hologram... was also embedded into it, an artificial intelligence. So while it would play the message it carried as it was meant to; to _certain people_... that hologram could interact with them as if the person that made the hologram was still _alive_ ," Daigo explained, before smiling weakly. "As it did to me. And _you_."

Daigo looked up towards her. "Captain... what do you think about the idea of reincarnation? Of a life before this current existence?"

Megumi stared at Daigo, silent. He sighed.

"I guess, both of us meeting here was also fated. Looking back, I did wonder why I felt so comfortable with you. As if I've known you for a long time."

Megumi laughed. "What are you talking about, Daigo? We did know each other for a long time now."

Daigo shook his head. "No. I mean much further back than that. As in, really, really... a long time ago. As in, ever since you were known as Yuzare."

"Eh?"

Daigo turned towards her and noticed her confusion. "Ah, my bad. I shouldn't have suddenly dropped all of this on you..."

Megumi waved her hand at him. "Don't worry about it. But I guess... when you put it like that, I suppose it explained many things. Like how... I _do_ have these keen interest in creatures from other worlds. And how, after finding out that you are Ultraman Tiga—I didn't find it too shocking. I never thought much about the idea of reincarnation, but I suppose it could happen."

"Talking about that, captain... how did you found out about me? Was it, during that time? It did strike me as peculiar last time when you started _sounding_ like Yuzare. When you said Tiga was a being of light... as well as human." Megumi nodded slowly to him, confirming his thoughts.

Daigo shrugged. "Well, since it was _you_... I guess I could tell you," he said before sighing again. "I did have something on my mind right now. Though I'm not sure if telling this to Rena or the others would do any good. It's not about the wedding... anyway."

Megumi laughed before looking serious again. "I expected that it wasn't it. I know how much both of you cared about each other. So what was it?"

Daigo turned his glance towards the open sea. Immediately his expression became sullen.

"What should I do now?"

"What?"

Daigo stepped aside before pulling down on the zipper of his uniform jacket. He pulled out an item, as Megumi recognised it having a similar design as Tiga's chest crest.

"My old Spark Lens had long returned to stone and into dust. This one, was given to me by Kamilla. It changed into this form after I managed to convert the dark energies from my former comrades, to turn myself back into a giant of light. The same way that I— _Tiga_ —used to do it... the _first_ time around. Long, long ago."

Megumi silently eyed the device, before turning to look at Daigo. Seeing his expressions... she could tell what was it that troubled him. "You didn't want to destroy it."

Daigo nodded. "Yet, I know that Rena would worry if she found out about this. But, even if I decided to not become an Ultraman again... a part of me, felt that I might still need this Spark Lens in case something _did_ happen in the future."

He turned around towards her, slightly agitated. "It's not that I don't trust everyone else to be able to protect this Earth as well as Tiga had, but... I couldn't bear the thought that maybe, there would be something happening that you guys could not handle—and I'd regret not being able to do something to help. Or that—!"

"I understand,"

Daigo cocked his head at her, wondering if that's all she had to say to him before Megumi gave him a shrug. "But do you have to find your answers to this _now_? Don't you think there's something _else_ you need to do right now?"

"Huh?"

Megumi chuckled.

"You took a bit of a _long time_ to come back from Ruruya. Because of that, Rena got so anxious that she couldn't stand being in Dive Hangar. She left for shore to somewhere... I suppose, to pray for your safe return."

Daigo smiled weakly before sighing. "I'm not sure if I should go see her, while I'm still undecided over this."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Do you have to find your answers now? Don't you think there's something else that you need to do right now?"_

He frowned again. "Wouldn't it be selfish of me now, should I decide to no longer fight?"

Megumi cocked her head at him. "Why did you think so? Do you not think the rest of us normal humans would not be able to find another way to protect ourselves? Who knows... perhaps in future another Light would come to take your place..."

Daigo sighed. "It's because while I'm still a human, I'm also a being of Light. And no, it's not that I don't have faith on the rest of everyone. It's just... me. Before, because I lost the means to transform into Tiga... I thought it would be fine to _just_ continue living as a normal human. But now that I got this back..."

He glanced up towards Megumi as he suddenly became thoughtful. "But Captain, what you said just now..." Daigo looked away before chuckling. "A new Light. Why haven't I thought of that? Yes... there should be someone who would inherit the light from me."

"Eh?" Megumi let out a gasp. "Daigo-kun... what I said just now, that's just a meaningless musing. I can't even be sure..."

Daigo shook his head at her. "No. It might _not_ just be a _coincidence_ for you to suddenly thought of it." He smiled. "Somehow, my mind immediately cleared. Was I worrying too much?"

He stared down at his Spark Lens before shoving it back into his jacket. He zipped his uniform back up before turning towards Megumi.

"Thank you, Captain Iruma," he said, before taking his leave.

xxx

Many years later...

There was _darkness_ everywhere around him, but not the kind of darkness that he used to face before... yet _similar_. It was the same darkness and sense of helplessness he used to feel, long time ago during his battle with Gatanazoa.

 _What... who... where did this darkness originate from?_

Daigo turned around as he saw a _great blurry figure_ in the darkness, fighting another _luminous figure_ who was much smaller in size. He could see many other creatures— _monsters_ —also trying to attack the giant figure. Some of them were also fighting each other... perhaps, allying with the dark giant?

He continued watching the fight from afar, but then he noticed the dark giant making his movement. The giant was holding a long _lance_ , similar to the one held by the smaller luminous giant. And the dark giant waved the lance towards the many monsters heading towards it—and right away, the space once occupied by the various sizes of monsters and aliens were cleared. Daigo frowned.

 _What... exactly just happened?_ And he watched again as the dark giant swung his lance around the now-empty space, creating a strong air pressure around him. Daigo tried to keep himself from being blown away; before something small suddenly slammed onto his face.

Daigo looked down towards the ground and picked up the small object. It was a _doll-like thing_... shaped as a _monster_. He remembered seeing a monster that looked exactly like this doll before it was being wiped out by the dark giant. _What does this mean?_

He glanced up, belatedly realising that the dark giant was _now_ heading towards his direction and swinging his lance towards him...

xxx

Daigo sat up, breathing hard and feeling sweat running all over his body. He blinked his eyes, trying to adjust his sight... before realising that he was back inside his home. On his bed. He glanced to his side to see Rena still sleeping peacefully.

 _It was a dream_ , he mused in his mind. _But it wasn't 'just' any silly dream._

He slowly got himself out of the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

xxx

Daigo opened up the drawer where he kept most of his important things and pulled out an old _memento_. He took a long breath as he held it firmly in his palm.

"Finally... it was that _time_ ," he sighed.

"Daigo?"

For a brief moment, he thought his heart had suddenly stopped beating. But as he started to will himself to stay calm, he turned around. As he feared, Rena was now awake... and looking at him worriedly.

There was no longer any words needed to be said to each other. He _knew_ what that look meant. He knew how much his wife had dreaded for this moment to arrive. But this fight, was not something that he could avoid.

"I need to go. The fate of this universe—no, every single universe that exists right now—might depend on this fight. And that _person_... would need my help."

He could see that Rena was struggling hard with herself to accept his decision, and he felt bad about it.

"Why it must be you? Are you the only Ultraman who could save the universe? Shouldn't there be many other Ultraman that could do it instead of you?"

Daigo smiled weakly. "I'm sure there are. And I'm also sure they would be heading to that place as well to join the fight. Yet, even if all of us had come to fight... I'm not even sure that we could win this battle."

"Then why should you go there to fight regardless?"

Rena was crying now, but he couldn't go to comfort her for fear that it would weaken his resolve.

"Because I am a human and also Light. Even if it may seem hopeless, I will keep on fighting in order to protect everyone."

"Then..." Rena started to say, "... how long would you be gone?"

Daigo shrugged. "I'm not sure. The enemy was quite strong, it may take a very _long_ time."

He took a long breath to steady himself. "Take care of yourself while I'm gone. Take care of Hikari and Tsubasa too, in my place. I'm sorry that I had to leave everything to you."

Rena shook her head slowly. "It's not hard for me..." she started to say before taking a long pause, "please be careful."

He nodded slowly. "I will. And I will be back."

xxx

He glanced back towards his small home as Rena silently watched him leave. He already said his goodbyes to his children earlier, so there wasn't anything _else_ left to do. Yet a part of him wondered if he could still see his family again after this. He might even return home, only to see his two kids already turning into adults. Daigo snorted.

Well, if he wanted to still be able to see that kind of future happening... that this fight would be something that he could not afford to lose. It's been a while but hopefully, his fighting skill didn't get _too_ rusty. Daigo looked up again. Rena was still watching him as he smiled weakly at her.

He sighed. Looking down towards his old Spark Lens, he held it high before releasing the light.

* * *

Finally finishing this. Because I refuse to believe that any other reappearance of Tiga (besides the Tiga/Dyna and TDG movies) in the Ultra universe would not be Daigo anymore. So I wrote this in order to tie-in with Ginga.


End file.
